Federal Judge Rules the US Women's Soccer Team Has No Right to Strike

In April, players from the U.S. women's soccer team suggested they may boycott the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio on account of wage discrimination and overall gender inequality.

That option has since been shut down.

A federal judge ruled on Friday that the U.S. women's soccer team cannot go on strike ahead of this summer's Olympic games. According to the Associated Press, U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman based her ruling on a no-strike clause in an agreement between the U.S. Soccer Federation and the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team Players Association.

The agreement expired in 2012 but the parties later signed a memorandum of understanding in 2013 and extended the terms lasting through 2016. But the players' union argued a no-strike provision wasn't firmly expressed in the memorandum and cannot be implied.

In March, players from the U.S. women's soccer team filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against the U.S. Soccer Federation. In the complaint, they argued that they have been paid 25 percent less than the men's team.

If the federation and the players' union do not agree on a new labor contract by the end of the year, the team will have the right to notify the federation of a strike.